Movers & Shakers 10/19/14

Post date:

Thu, 10/16/2014 - 5:32am

Enstar Natural Gas announced the appointment of Jared Green as president. Green brings more than 15 years of industry experience to his new role. Prior to joining Enstar, he was Vice President and Corporate Controller at AltaGas Ltd., Enstar’s parent company. He succeeds outgoing President Colleen Starring, who is assuming a new position at AltaGas as senior vice president of Canadian Utilities and CEO of Pacific Northern Gas. Headquartered in Anchorage, Enstar is a regulated public utility that delivers natural gas to approximately 137,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Southcentral Alaska, encompassing more than 57 percent of Alaska’s population.

Outgoing President Dave Lawer with First National Bank Alaska passed the gavel to the Alaska Support Industry Alliance’s new president, Kevin Durling of Petroleum Equipment and Services Inc. PESI is a 35-year-old Alaskan company serving the oil and gas industry’s drilling product needs. Four incumbent board members were reelected to three year terms: Bryan Clemenz, CH2M Hill; Krista Gonder, Alaska Tags & Titles; Mark D. Nelson, ASRC Energy Services; Pete Stokes, Petrotechnical Resources Alaska. The membership also elected three new board members: Adam Crum, Northern Industrial Training; Wyche Ford, Fluor; Ben Schoffmann, Kakivik Asset Management LLC & CCI Industrial Services LLC. The Kenai Chapter of the Alliance also voted to make Scott Davis of Davis Block and Concrete their representative to the statewide board.

Gene Therriault, deputy director for energy policy at the Alaska Energy Authority has been elected as vice-chair of the National Association of State Energy Officials board of directors. His previous NASEO involvement includes pressing the U.S. Secretary of Energy on the importance of Alaska natural gas exports and explaining the consequences of proposed air emissions regulations on Alaska to top EPA personnel. As deputy director of the Alaska Energy Authority policy and outreach team, Therriault oversees the implementation of the state’s energy policy, the Power Cost Equalization program, energy planning and community energy program assistance. Prior to AEA, Therriault has worked as senior policy advisor on in-state energy for Gov. Sean Parnell and served as an Alaska Legislator for 17 years including one term as president of the Alaska Senate.

Retired Lt. Col. Jay Pullins will represent the Office of the Governor on the review team established to implement recommendations from the National Guard Bureau’s Office of Complex Investigations. Pullins will serve as the special assistant to the governor handling issues relating to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Brigadier Gen. Jon K. Mott, the assistant adjutant general for the Connecticut National Guard, is leading separate collaborative working groups in the Alaska National Guard around implementing each major recommendation in the OCI report, including sexual assault and misconduct, equal opportunity and equal employment opportunity, coordination with law enforcement, management of misconduct, command climate, and administration of justice. Pullins, 47, served for 26 years in the U.S. Air Force and the Alaska National Guard, before retiring in 2011. He was the director of the Joint Operations Center at Fort Richardson, where he was responsible for Alaska National Guard’s ability to support command and control of assigned forces during domestic emergencies. Pullins also served as the flight commander for the Alaska NORAD Region. While in the Alaska National Guard, Pullins served as chief of staff for then-Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell. He most recently worked as a pastor at ChangePoint Church in Anchorage. Pullins earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the Air Force Academy and a master’s degree in adult education from the University of Oklahoma.

Holly C. Wells has become a shareholder in law firm Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot. Wells joined the firm in 2008. Wells’ practice focuses primarily on Alaska municipal government and admiralty matters affecting government ports and harbors. Wells also represents Native and private corporations as well as individuals in various actions involving complex litigation, construction, contracts, and land use. Wells routinely acts as lead counsel to municipal boards and commissions regarding ethics disputes, conditional uses, variances, and other matters. She also represents government and private corporations before various federal and state boards and commissions, including but not limited to, the Federal Maritime Commission, Public Employees Retirement System and Alaska Public Offices Commission.

Jerry D. Anderson is the new Ethics Committee administrator for the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics, effective Oct. 24. Anderson is currently employed as the assistant director of the Alaska Public Offics Commission and has held that position for six years. His previous experience includes operating his own law firm and working as a magistrate in both Kenai and Galena.

Holly Weiss-Racine of R&M Consultants Inc. has earned her Certified Professional Geologist certification. The CPG certification is administered by the American Institute of Professional Geologists, an association dedicated to promoting geology as a profession. Weiss-Racine is an environmental specialist in R&M’s Environmental and Planning Group. She has more than eight years of experience in providing environmental and geological services. She possesses a strong knowledge of environmental standards, and regulatory agency permitting and compliance. Weiss-Racine has been responsible for NEPA document preparation, public involvement, permitting, Section 106 compliance, SWPPP review and compliance, field investigations, agency coordination and project scoping on a variety of environmentally sensitive and/or high profile transportation projects. She is currently involved with the Glenn Highway Northbound Capacity Improvements, Seward Highway MP 100-105 improvements and a Hazardous Waste and Environmental Services Term Agreement with the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities. She has a bachelor’s degree in geosciences from the University of Southern Maine. She is a Qualified Cultural Resources Professional with the State Historic Preservation Office and an Alaska Certified Erosion & Sediment Control Lead.

The Alaska Mobility Coalition is pleased to announce that it has awarded State Rep. Peggy Wilson, R- Wrangell, the 2014 AMC Legislative Award. The award is in recognition of her efforts promoting transit and transportation infrastructure in Alaska. The award was presented last week at the 2014 Alaska Transit Conference. The AMC is a private, non-profit membership organization that represents and advocates for public and community transportation in Alaska.